Citizens Speak Out Post — Bike lanes

Research Pkwy was reduced to 2 lanes each way and the third was converted to a huge bike lane about 18 months ago; it was subsequently converted back at huge taxpayer expense in both conversions. The final reason given was that the Traffic Department of COS had unilaterally decided there needed to be bike lanes. I have traveled that roadway weekly, sometimes daily multiple times. I can count on one hand the number of bicyclists I have ever seen in the vicinity. There are also infrequent walkers on the 6-9 ft wide walking paths that line the east part of Research. Have we learned nothing? Even bicyclists are smart enough NOT to travel on the busiest streets and particularly those that are multi-lanes and with speeds higher than 40. We need to face that COS is not a bike-usable city. It is too large, it is too cold a full 7 months of the year and 2 more are quite wet. That leaves only 3 months for bicyclists to inconvenience drivers yet traffic flows 12 months a year in a city that is not managing traffic well as it is. If you’ve tried to drive N on Union between N Academy and the new Briargate Pkwy that has opened into Cordera and Wolf Ranch recently you find that major intersections like Union and Research Pkwy give a green to northbound traffic only to stop 100ft later to let ONE car turn left out of the shopping center, followed immediately about 70 feet later (Charity Drive) where most cars turning right trigger Union RED again. Ditto for Family Ln and Austin Bluffs’ dead end into Memorial Hospital Drive that keeps Briargate Pkwy traffic moving short distances to each next red light. Why aren’t these major arteries given priorities and on cycles like N Academy is? At Vickers and N Academy I have to wait fully 2:40 sec routinely to turn north on that cycle. WHY? Because some traffic person decided it is unsafe to allow left turns against ONE lane of oncoming traffic on Vickers westbound which had to navigate a sharp right turn prior to said light, while 2 lanes are permitted to do so at N Academy and Montebello, a far busier intersection. No sense or rhyme or reason whatsoever. We need a responsible and accountable traffic department who first wants to move traffic, not prevent movement by trying to convert us into a Bicycle community. Bicyclists may use the parks and trails all over town, which are wonderful. Why must we share arteries with bicyclists? In ONEN many streets heading N are parallel to Nevada and far safer for everybody. So what is the real agenda?

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2 thoughts on “Citizens Speak Out Post — Bike lanes”

It isn’t merely about bike lanes. It can be viewed as moving citizens toward the collective or community—as in socialism. It says to give up your road for the public good. It’s surrendering rights to meet the desires of government—an encroachment on people’s freedoms by our own government.

There should be bigger bike lanes as there has been an increases in the number of bikers in the past few years according to some of the random stats I read on the internet. I really don’t know about their authenticity, but what if they are authentic? This means that the Traffic Department of COS did the right thing, no?